Machines for turning wood heel blanks



Jan., 29 i958 E. E. .JOINER JR' 2,3212@ MACHINES FOR TURNING woon HEEL BLANKS Filed Feb. 9. 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 5am 285 395@ E. E. JOINER, .m 2,82L219 MACHINES FOR TURNING WOOD HEEL BLANKS Filed Feb. 9. 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 nventar Edgar' E dme/uff: `59 /2' Jan. 28, w58 E, E. JOINER, JR 2,821,219

MACHINES FOR TURNING woon HEELv BLANKS Filed Feb. 9, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan., 2S, 1958 E. E. JOINER, JR 2,3233@ MACHINES FOR TURNING woon HEEL BLANxs Filed Feb. 9, 1955 4 sheets-sheet 4 MAclmsns non To woon naar nLaNks Edgar E. Joiner, Jr., Andover, Mass., assigner to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. fi., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 9, 1955, Serial No. 487,107

4 Claims. (Cl. 1414-145) This invention relates to machines for turning wood heel blanks in the forming of wood heels and is herein illustrated with reference to a single spindle turning machine of the general type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,488,100, granted November l5, 1949, on an application filed in the name of iustin P. Quirk et al. and with reference to methods which may be practiced by the use of the above or other single spindle turning machines.

The present invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the same selected for purposes of illustration, said invention being fully disclosed in the following description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figs. 1 and 2 are side and front views respectively, partially broken away, of the illustrative machine in a dwell position ready to operate upon a wood heel blank which is shown positioned and clamped in the machine;

Fig. 3 is a view on the line lll-lll of Fig. 2 showing portions of clutch mechanism for engaging and disengaging portions of a drive of the machine to enable a heel blank supporting jack of the machine to come to rest while the blank to be operated upon is being presented thereto and also showing portions of stop mechanism for insuring that the jack is at all times stopped at a predetermined dwell position;

Fig. 4 shows, in perspective and on a large scale, a wood heel blank which is to be turned by the use of the illustrative machine;

Fig. 5 shows a turned wood heel blank which has been formed from the blank shown in Fig. 4 by the use of the machine;

Figs. 6 to 9, inclusive, are illustrative views showing in plan the wood heel blank during four different stages of its turning operation;

Fig. 10 shows on an enlarged scale the lower portion of the machine as viewed in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 1l is a View of the machine on the line Xi-Xl of Fig. 2.

The present invention is illustrated as embodied in a wood heel turning machine which is similar in many respects .to the machine disclosed in said Patent No. 2,488,100, and comprises a main frame 2i? to which is adjustably secured a motor f2.1 having a vertical shaft 22 to the lower end of which is secured by a nut 24 a cutter 25 comprising a plurality of blades 2S having convex cutting edges 3G.

The cutter 26 is rotated at approximately 7G00 R. P. M. by the motor 21 and a wood heel blank 34, which is to be turned to form a turned wood heel blank 35, is clamped to a jack 36. During the turning operation the jack is moved bodily toward and away from the cutter 26 at right angles to an axis of rotation 38 of the cutter as it is rotated about an axis of the rotation 42 of a shaft-or spindle 44 of the jack and is tilted about an axis 46 which lies generally in a planar base or attach- 1821219 Patented Jan. 28, i958 2 ing face 48 of the wood heel blank 34 initially positioned in the machine and accordingly which lies generally in a blank supporting surface of the jack in its heel receiving position shown in Figs. l and 2. The wood heel blank 34 is turned by one continuous or uninterrupted cutting operation starting at one breast edge 50 of the blank and finishing at the other breast edge 50a of said blank. The cutter 25 and the heel blank 34 are rotated clockwise and counterclockwise, as viewed from above, about the axes 3S, 42 respectively, the portion of the heel blank 34 being trimmed moving in the same general direction as the cutting edge 30 of the blade 28 operating upon that portion being trimmed thereby trimming said blank by what is commonly referred to as a climbing cut.

The main frame 20 has secured to it three bosses 52 bored to receive respectively the rear ends of three parallel bearing rods 54 upon which are slidingly mounted sleeves 56 secured by screws 58 to an H-shaped slideframe 6i). Rotatably mounted upon the slide-frame 64? is a vertical cam shaft 62 having secured to it upper and lower cams 64, 66. Secured to a lower end portion of the slide-frame 6i) is a housing 63 in which is rotatably mounted a shaft 76 having fixed to it a worm 72 which meshes with a worm wheel 74 secured to the lower end of the cam shaft 62. Secured to the left end of the shaft 70, as viewed from the front of the machine, is a bevel gear '76 meshing with a bevel gear 73 secured to the lower end of a stub shaft $0 which drives through sliding and universal connections 82 a stud shaft 84 rotatably mounted in a bracket 86 journaled for movement about the axis 46 on bearing pins SS carried by the slideframe 60.

The bracket 86, which may be referred to as a swing or tilt bracket, has rotatably mounted in it a horizontal shaft 9i) which has secured to it a bevel gear 92 meshing with a bevel gear 93 secured to the upper end of the stub shaft 84 and which has keyed to it a worm 94 meshing with a worm wheel 96 secured to the lower end of the shaft or spindle 44 of the jack 36 which is rotatably supported upon a face 97 of the swing bracket S6. The jack 36 comprises a pronged plate ltiil engaged by the at base face 48 of the wood heel blank 34 which is to be turned and may be placed manually upon the jack or may be placed automatically upon said jack by the use of heel feeding mechanism such, for example, as that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,548,321, granted April l0, 1951, on an application filed in the names of Justin P. Quirk et al. The axis of rotation 42 of the jack shaft 44 extends heightwise of the blank 34 and may be referred to as a heightwise axis of said blank.

The slide-frame 6G is constantly urged rearward, that is to the right as viewed in Fig. 1, upon the bearing rods 54 by tension springs 102 having their front and rear ends attached respectively to the slide-frame and to the main frame 2t), rearward movement of the slide-frame being limited by engagement of the cam 64 secured to the upper end of the shaft 62 with an abutment 104 rotatably mounted in the main frame 2t?.

The swing bracket 86, which moves as an entirety forward and rearward with the slide-frame 6i?, is constantly urged counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 1 upon the slide-frame about the common axis 46 of the trunnions 88 by tension springs 166 the rear ends of which are attached to studs attached to the slide-frame and forward ends of which are attached to studs secured to the swing bracket. The position of the tilt bracket 86 on the slide-frame 60 and accordingly the angular position of the heel blank 34 mounted on the jack 36 is controlled by the engagement of a follower roll 10S, which is carried by a block adjustably mounted upon the tilt bracket, with the cam 66.

The unturned wood heel blank 34 positioned upon the plate 100 of the jack 36 is forced against said plate by a plunger 112 forming part of a clamp 113 and freely mounted for rotation in a slide 114 which is vertically movable along a. guideway 116 of the swing7 bracket 86 and is actuated by a pair of levers 11S operatively connected to the upper end of a pneumatically driven piston rod 120. High pressure air for controlling, through the above described mechanism, the operation of the plunger 112 is responsive to movement of a cam 122 which forms part of a master or cluster cam 131 hereinafter described and corresponds to the cam (99) disclosed in said Letters Patent 2,548,321.

The horizontal shaft 70 which is mounted in the housing 68 has secured to its right end, as viewed from the front of the machine, a gear 124 (Figs. 1 and l1) which is driven by a gear 126'1ixed to a shaft 12S (Figs. 2, lo and 11) rotatably mounted in the drive housing 68 and connected to a driven member of a one-revolution clutch 130 which is automatically disengaged to stop the drive and accordingly to cause the jack 36 to come to rest in a dwell position. The clutch 130 is operated by a yoke 136 secured to the upper end of a shaft 138`1otatable in a boss of the housing 68 which comprises part of the slideframe 60. Secured to the lower end of the shaft 133 is an arm 140 corresponding to the clutch operating arm disclosed in said Letters Patent No. 2,548,321.

Associated with the clutch -130 is a stop arm 142 which is fulcrumed on an extension of the housing 68 and is rotated clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 3, by a screw 144 carried by an arm 146 pinned to the shaft 138 and which is rotated counterclockwise by a spring 148 and coopcrates with a lug 150 formed on a sleeve portion of the shaft 128 to insure that the jack 36, during its dwell, shall be stopped and held in the proper position to receive the heel blank 34. As the arm 140 is swung clockwise, as viewed from above, by the action of a spring 129, causing the clutch 131) to be disengaged, the stop 142 swings into a position in which it is engaged by the lug 150.

The control of the clutch 130 and the clamp 113 is effected by the master cam 131 which is mounted on the cam shaft 62 and comprises a sleeve portion 133 which has formed integral with it the clamp operating cam 122 and a clutch operating cam 137. The master cam 131 is mounted for restrictive movement on the cam shaft 62 through an are measured by an angular distance through which a lug 139 secured to the cam shaft 62 may move in a slot 141 in the sleeve portion 133 of the master cam. Counterclockwise movement of the cam shaft 62, as viewed from above, moves the lug 139 against an end 143 of the slot 141 and accordingly turns the master cam 131 with the cam shaft until said shaft is stopped. From this point the master cam 131 is free to be turned on the cam shaft 62 for a measured distance in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed from above, to cause an end 145 of the slot 141 to be moved against the lug 139.

The-clutch operating cam 137 of the master cam 131 is moved against a plunger 147 of a valve 149 which controls the flow of air to an air cylinder 155 associated with the clutch 130. In order to move the master cam 131 on the cam shaft 62 there is provided air-powered ratchet mechanism 159 which is under the control of an air motor 161 operated either by the heel feeding unit disclosed in detail in said Patent No. 2,548,321 or by the use of a manually-controlled normally closed air valve 163. The air motor 161 has slidable in it a plunger 164 to which is pivoted a ratchet pawl 165 which is similar to the ratchet pawl (134) disclosed in said Patent No. 2,548,321, movement of the said pawl to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, beingadapted to cooperate with a ratchet wheel segment 167 of the master cam 131 to rotate counterclockwise, as viewed from above, said master cam on the cam shaft 62 in order first to effect operation of the clamp 113 and then to effect engagement of the clutch 130.

Secured by screws 169 (only one shown) to the lower end of the cam shaft 62 is a sleeve 171 carrying a cam 173 which is moved against a plunger 175 of a two-way air valve to cause compressed air to be fed to a nozzle (not shown) for ejecting the heel blank 35, which has been turned and has been unclamped from the jack 36, from the machine.

Assuming that the machine is at. rest and that an unturned heel blank 34 has been positioned upon the jack' and thus to secure the heel blank in position in the jack. 36 and thereafter to admit airfto the valve 149 causingv the clutch to be engaged.

In order to obtain the desired production necessary to i compete commercially with a wood heel turning machine in which the work is fed manually past the cutter, itis essential that wood heel blanks 34 shall be moved 'at a substantial speed past the cutter 26. If during the turning of the wood heel blank 34 a portion of the vheelblault` included between lines of trim A and B traverses the cutter at a high speed, there is a tendency, in view of the fact that the grain of the wood of the heel blank entendsA generally lengthwise of said blank and the fibres of'the wood being cut are not supported against the actiongof" the cutter by projecting overlapping libres, to chip the? rear face or end of the heel blank 35 included-between these lines during this part of the traversing movement with the result that the heel is spoiled. Fulthermore,l when the wood heel blank 35 -is being formed to ashapey in which its forward lateral side portions converge toward a heightwise median plane 151 (Fig. 5) ofthe blank there is a tendency for the cutter 26, in trimming the portion of the wood heel blank kincluded betweem lines C and D' (line D being one of the breast edges of the heel blank 35), to chip or gouge the portion-of the side of the heel blank 35 included between thesef lines when said blank traverses the cutter at a'high speedsY With the foregoing considerations in-view the-speedl at which the unturned heel blank 34 traverses -the cutter 26, while portions of the turned heel blank ElSincluded` between a breast edge D and the line A on the one-handi and the lines B and C on the other handare being formed, has been materially increased (heel speed-35 vRi P; M;

about the axis 42) over a speed heretofore considered to be normal (approximately 22 R. P. Mr) and the speed at which the heel blank 34 traverses the cutter while portions of the turned heel blank 35 included between-lines- A and B and in some styles of work While portions of the heel blank 35 included between line C and theline- D or breast edge thereof are being formed, has been materially decreased (rotation of the blank 10 R. P. M. about'Y the axis 42).

In order to maintain the desired production by the machine and to insure against the chipping of the Wood` heel blanks 34 while they are being turned, the machine is provided with a shaft 152 which is rotatably mounted in a slide-frame extension 60a secured by screws 153 to the slide-frame and is operatively connected to a shaft,

156 rotatable in a bearing 157 screwed to an extension of the housing 68 and constituting part of the slide-frame 60, said shaft 152 being secured to the shaft 156, which is connected to the driving portion of the clutch 130, by an Oldham coupling 154. The shaft 152 has rotatably.

mounted upon it small and large pulleys 158, which may be selectively connected to the shaft 152 by a double fclutch 162, 1622' which is similar to the double clutch disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,201,676,"

granted May 2l, 1940, on an application tiled in the name of Allan R. Coe.

Adjustably mounted upon a platform 166 secured to the housing 63 is a motor 168 having a shaft 170 upon which are secured a pair of pulleys 180 which are of equal size and are operatively connected by belts 182, 184 to the pulleys 158, 166 respectively. The motor shaft 170 is supported by a pair of bearings 186 (only one shown) screwed to a bracket 18S adjustably secured to a flange 190 which is formed integral with the right sleeve 56, as viewed from the front of the machine. When the machine is powered the motor 168 runs continuously and drives the pulleys S, 160, either one of which may be operatively connected to the shaft 152, by the use of a shipper lever 192 which is pivotally mounted upon a bearing pin 194 secured to the slide-frame extension 60a and has pivoted on it blocks 196 riding in a circumferential groove 198 of a common sleeve 200 of the clutches 162, 162e. Tension on the belts 182, 184 may be created by initially adjusting the motor 16? into diierent positions on the platform 166 of the slide-frame 60 and/ or by the provision of suitable idler pulleys. In order to vary the edective diameter of the pulleys 158, 160 to vary within limits the speeds at which the jack 36 is operated, each of said pulleys may be of the split type opposite halves of the pulleys having inwardly converging belt engaging faces, one of said halves being adjustable axially with relation to the opposite half.

When the machine is powered it operates automatically through repeated cycles and as above described has a dwell between cycles to permit the operator or the heel blank feeding mechanism to load the heel blanks 34 onto the jack 36. When the jack 36 reaches a stage in its cycle at which the heel blank 34 clamped therein has been nish trimmed to the line A the clutch 162 is disengaged and the clutch 162a is engaged causing the pulley 158 to be disconnected from the shaft 152 and the pulley 160 to be operatively connected to said shaft with the result that the speeds of the various movements of the jack 36 are materially reduced and there is little likelihood of said blank, the unsupported cross grain portion of which is then being trimmed, being chipped and accordingly a gouged surface being formed along a corresponding surface of the rear face of the turned wood heel blank 35. Just before the wood heel blank 34 is finish trimmed to the line B the clutch 1622L is disengaged and the clutch 162 is engaged, the trimming cut in conventional work progressing at an increased speed until the turning of the heel blank has been completed and the jack 36 comes to rest during which rest the blank which has been turned is removed and another heel blank is presented to and clamped in the jack.

With the above considerations in view provision is made to operate the shipper lever 192 in timed relation with the jack shaft 44 and the cam shaft 62 so as to cause the speed of the heel blank to be increased on decreased as selected portions thereof are being turned.

The shipper lever 192, which actuates the clutches 162, 162e, is pivoted at its upper end to a piston 202 movable in opposite directions by a fluid-powered engine 204 controlled by solenoids (not shown) rendered active in response to the closing of normally open switches 206, 208 which comprise respectively bridging plungers 210, 212.

When the machine is in its dwell position one of the pair of solenoids of the duid-powered engine 204 has moved an associated valve (not shown) into a position in which the piston 262 has moved the shipper lever 192 into a position to cause the clutch 162 to be engaged and the clutch 162a to be disengaged, the construction and arrangement being such that when the duid-powered engine is started the jack 36 will be driven at the abovementioned relatively high speed.

Mounted upon and secured to the sleeve 171 by screws 216 are four collars or actuators 218, 218e, 21Sb and 218c upon which are formed respectively striker cams 220, 2208, 220b and 220C. After the machine has been started and the wood heel blank 34, clamped in the machine, has advanced to a position in which the trimming cut has reached the line A on the heel blank 34 the striker vcam 220b carried by the collar 21Sb engages the plunger 212 causing said plunger to bridge the terminals of the switch 20S and to energize one of the solenoids of the fluid-pressure engine with the result that the piston 202 moves the shipper lever 192 counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 2 causing the clutch 162 to be disengaged and the clutch 162e to be engaged. When this occurs the speed of the drive and accordingly the jack 36 is materially reduced, said lower speed being maintained until the turning cut reaches the line B on the heel blank 34 at which time the striker cam 220 of the collar 218 engages the plunger 210 of the switch 206 causing it to bridge terminals of this switch and thereby to energize the other solenoid of the uid pressure engine 204 causing the piston to be moved back to the position it assumes during the dwell of the machine. The piston 202 and accordingly the shipper lever 192 remains in its rest position until the trimming cut reaches the line C on the heel blank 34 when the striker cam 220c of the collar 213c moves the plunger 212 of the switch 208 toward associated terminals causing the slow speed drive again to be active until the trimming cut is completed as it reaches the line D at which time the striker cam 220a of the collar 218ral displaces the plunger 210 with the result that the clutch 162a is disengaged and the clutch 162 is engaged.

Immediately after the trimming cut has been completed the cam 122, through mechanism disclosed in Patent No. 2,548,321, causes the clamp rod 112 to be raised and then the cam 173 on the sleeve 171 engages the plunger 175 causing a jet of air to eject the turned wood heel blank 35 from the machine. .lust before the jack 36 arrives at its loading or dwell position, the cam 137 moves away from the plunger 147 with the result that the clutch is disengaged and the drive is stopped by the stop arm 142 when the jack arrives in its dwell position.

The duid-powered engine is of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,641,229, granted .Tune 9, 1953, on an application liled in the name of Lewis F. R. Bellows and accordingly no further detailed description of this mechanism is deemed to be necessary herein, it being understood that other well-known commercial mechanisms of this general type may be used in place of the one above referred to if desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. In a wood heel blank turning machine, a cutter rotatable about an axis, a slide-frame movable generally transversely of said axis, a tilt bracket which carries a follower and is pivotally mounted upon the slide-frame for movement about an axis which is arranged at right angles to the direction of movement of the slide-frame and is disposed at substantially right angles to the axis of rotation of the cutter, a heel blank supporting jack rotatably mounted in the tilt bracket, a drive shaft rotatably mounted on the slide-frame, mechanism which comprises a universal connection and operatively connects the jack to the drive shaft, a cam shaft rotatably mounted upon the slide-frame and operatively connected to the drive shaft, a fixed abutment, a pair of cams secured to the cam shaft, resilient means for constantly urging the slide-frame toward the cutter at right angles to its axis of Irotation to a position determined by the engagement of one of said cams with the abutment, resilient means for constantly urging the follower of the tilt bracket against the other of said cams to move the tilt bracket and accordingly the jack and the heel blank on said jack into diien ent angular positions about said second-named axis, a

motor mounted,V upon the slide-frame, large and small pulleys which are mounted for rotation on the drive shaft and arecontinuously driven in the same direction in response to operation of the motor, clutches for selectively securing one or the other of said pulleys to drive said shaft at high and low speeds respectively, a pair of actuators movable in timed relation to the cam shaft, and means responsive to movement of said actuators during a cycle of the machine for operating rst one and then the other of the clutches to connect one and then the other of the pulleys to the drive shaft whereby to move the cam shaft and the jack at different speeds during different portions of the cycle of the machine.

2. In a wood heel blank turning machine, a cutter rotatable about an axis, a slide-frame movable toward and away from said axis, a tilt bracket pivotally mounted upon the slide-frame for movement about an axis which is spaced from and is vdisposed at right angles to the axis of lrotation of the cutter, heel block supporting and clamping means rotatably supported upon the bracket for movement about an axis extending generally heightwise of the clamped blank, a drive shaft mounted in the slideframe, mechanism partly mounted on the slide-frame and partly on the tilt bracket for operatively connecting said heel blank supporting and clamping means to the drive shaft, a motor mounted upon the slide-frame, a cam shaft rotatablyy mounted in the slide-frame, large and small pulleys rotatable on the drive shaft .and continuously rotated in the same direction in response to rotation of the motor, clutches for operatively connecting either one or the other of said pulleys selectively to the drive shaft, mechanism comprising cams which are mounted upon the cam shaft for controlling movement of the slide-frame relatively to the cutter and for controlling movement of the bracket on the slide-frame, and means operative in timed relation with the cam shaft for alternately operating the clutches to cause rst one and then the other of the pulleys to be connected to the drive shaft to vary, during different stages of the cycle of the machine, the speed at which the slide-frame is moved relatively to the cutter, the speed at which the bracket is swung on the slide-frame and the speed at which the heel blank supporting and clamping means is rotated on the bracket.

3. In a machine for turning wood heel blanks, a cutter rotatable about, a xed axis, a slide frame mounted for translatory movement toward and away from said axis, a bracketr journaled upon the slide-frame, a jack rotatably mounted in the bracket, a drive for rotating the jack upon the bracket, means comprising cams operative in timed relation to the drive for moving the slide-frame toward and away from the axis of rotation of the cutter and for swinging the bracket on the slide frame as the jack is rotated, a motor, said drive comprising high and low sleep transmission devices operatively connected to the motor and selectively connected operatively to one or the other of the high and low speed transmission devices, and means responsive to movement of the drive for rendering said high and low speed transmission devices active in a desired sequence during the operation of the machine to vary the speed of the heel blank past the cutter as different portions of the heel blank are beingr turned.

4. In a wood heel blank turning machine, a cutter rotatable in one direction about a tixed axis, a slide-frame mounted for trans-latory movement toward and away from the cutter, a bracket journaled upon the slide-frame, a jack rotatable in the bracket, a drive for rotating the jack upon the bracket in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the cutter, means comprising cams operative in timed relation to the drive for moving the slideframe toward and away from the cutter and for swinging the bracket on the slide-frame as the jack is rotated, a motor mounted upon the slide-frame, high and low speed transmission devices for selectively connecting the motor to the drive, actuators operative in timed relation to the jack, clutches for rendering one or the other of said transmission devices active, and means responsive to operation of said actuators for rendering one and then the other of said high and low speed transmission devices active to move diierent portions of the heel blank at different speeds past the cutter.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,076,123 Gialdini Apr. 6, 1937 2,426,487 Clausing Aug. 26, 1947 2,488,100 Quirk Nov. 15, 1949 

